Netanyahu Falsifying Torah to Sell Bigoted Lies against Iran: Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resorted to fake history and falsifying of the Torah to sell lies against Iran.

Zarif was responding to claims made by Netanyahu that Iran had been trying to “destroy the Jewish people” for some 2,500 years, making the remarks on his official Twitter account on Sunday.

“To sell bigoted lies against a nation which has saved Jews 3 times, Netanyahu resorting to fake history & falsifying Torah. Force of habit. Once again Benjamin Netanyahu not only distorts the realities of today, but also distorts the past — including Jewish scripture. It is truly regrettable that bigotry gets to the point of making allegations against an entire nation which has saved Jews three times in its history,” he said.

Netanyahu made the claims during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday. He was referring to a legend commemorated through the Jewish holiday of Purim, which ‘Israel’ started celebrating Saturday night.

While scholars do not agree on the accuracy of the Purim story, Netanyahu has constantly referred to the legend as a basis of his anti-Iran arguments in his meetings with different world leaders.

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that Netanyahu had both misreported Iran’s pre-Islam history and inverted facts. “Apparently, neither he is acquainted with history, nor he has read the Torah,” said Larijani.